The Story of HAC…
In 1963, a group of expatriates began serving the underprivileged children and new migrant families in the Diamond Hill district of Kowloon. Hans Andersen Club was named after the renowned Danish story writer Hans Christian Andersen to symbolize the Club’s concerns for and focus on the wellbeing of children and the youth, regardless of their races, nationalities and religions.

VisionHAC takes families as their servicing target. As a harmonious parent-child relationship can be established through storytelling and creative games, Hans Andersen Club purports to provide adequate training as well as readily accessible resources and trainings on storytelling and on devising creative games, and to serve the grass-root and under-privileged families and their children in Hong Kong. Their goal is to enable children enjoy holistic development and adapt to intellectual based society.

Mission
Cherish our Children, Cultivate our Community

Since the opening of Storyland in 2006, HAC have been committed to provide creative, professional and diversified storytelling services to the community. HAC believes that reading is the perfect way to broaden children’s horizons and nourish their minds. Storytelling also plays a significant role to promoting one’s imagination, self-confidence and parent-child relationships.

This is what HAC does…

Reading Club for ParentsTo provide practical skills, theories and experience-sharing, so that parents can become a confident storyteller
Use stories to resolve conflicts and promote parent-child relationship
Storytelling with interaction, creativity and fun

Storytelling Resources
High-quality storybooks are available for members to borrow and read at the Storytellers’ Resource Centre
“Parents’ Resource Kit” with storybook, tailor-made props and activities
“Schools’ Resource Kit” with big books and suggestions for activities
Reading Garden (link to http://www.storytelling.org.hk): A Web-based platform for sharing

Volunteer Training and Community Services
Organize services for individual and corporate volunteers
Respond to the community’s needs and provide support for those in need

Book Bag Library
Sponsored by Bring Me A Book Hong Kong, the Book Bag Library provides high-quality books for children and “First Teachers Training” for parents.

Share Storytelling Resource
There are over a thousand story books and various kinds of resources for members to borrow free of charge. There is also a stage, dressing room and audio-visual equipment to support all types of storytelling performances.

What you can do to help:
HAC needs your help to run their operations and events, including paired-reading, story-writing, storytelling, drama, art & design, promotion & publicity, editorial & publishing etc. All 15 and above are welcome.

If you are interested in volunteering, please follow this link to their online volunteer registration form.

Every child born in Hong Kong deserves a fair start in life. PathFinders ensures that the most vulnerable children born in Hong Kong, and their migrant mothers, are respected and protected.

For PathFinders, the journey began in 2007 when co-founders Kylie Uebergang and Melissa Mowbray-d’Arbela rescued four babies born to migrant women in Hong Kong. Realising a gap in Hong Kong society where women and babies go undocumented and unprotected, PathFinders was founded on the belief that no child should be born alone and deprived of medical support, shelter and identity. Since 2008, PathFinders has served more than 4,000 babies, children and women. A respected charity committed to supporting the welfare of children by providing child protection, mothers’ protection, counselling, shelter, food, access to health, access to education and access to legal support, demand for their services grow from year to year. These numbers are likely to continue growing as more migrant workers enter Hong Kong each year.

One life at a time, PathFinders help mothers make informed decisions about their life. PathFinders are successfully removing their children from risk and are ensuring these children are part of safe and nurturing homes. Here are a few examples showing how PathFinders influences local policies and practices:
– Migrant women who have overstayed their visas as a result of becoming pregnant and losing their employment are no longer turned away from NGOs and government departments because of incomplete documentation.
– Migrant children can now be adopted in Hong Kong through Hong Kong’s Social Welfare Department.
– Migrant children adopted in Hong Kong now have the right of Unconditional Stay, which entitles them to legitimately claim their place in Hong Kong and call it their home.
– The time required for an undocumented migrant child to obtain a Hong Kong birth certificate has been reduced by 75%.
– Hong Kong birth certificates are now certified by the Indonesian Consulate, ensuring that children born to Indonesian mothers in Hong Kong are recognized by the Indonesian government and have access to basic services and education in Indonesia.

Join PathFinders in making a difference. PathFinders is looking for volunteers who are motivated and passionate about helping children and their migrant mothers and here are ways in which you can help.

Playtime with ToddlersBy assisting PathFinders to run the workshop smoothly, you will help to create a calm learning environment that enables their beneficiaries to get the most out of the class. Your contribution will help their migrant mothers to gain the skills and knowledge that they need to take charge of their lives.

Supplies DistributionPathFinders have Clothes Collection Day once a month for their beneficiaries to collect some much needed items. PathFinders needs volunteers to help with sorting and distributing supplies and with babysitting. Please help them look after children who are 3 years old and under.

Sunday Outreach ProgrammePathFinders is striving to raise public awareness on maternity rights for domestic workers by distributing information packs at different parks on Sundays. Please come and join them.

Education Programme – Life skills educatorsPathFinders is looking for individuals who are knowledgeable in topics relevant to their beneficiaries’ daily lives to facilitate their weekly group meetings. They are also open to new topic suggestions! Topics covered include:
– Personal empowerment
– Parenting
– Women’s health
– Legal rights
– Relationships & culture

Access to Healthcare ProgrammeMany of PathFinders’ beneficiaries, particularly newborns and mothers in the last stages of pregnancy, are in critical need of medical care but are unable to afford treatment. PathFinders is looking for medical professionals who can provide pro bono, basic medical services for expectant mothers and children. They are especially seeking registered professionals operating in Kowloon.

Meet and Greet with PathFinders Limited
If you would like to learn more about PathFinders’ services, please come and join their volunteers workshop. For more information, please visit their website or register to volunteer by following this link.

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Just remember, the aim of this blog is only to bring opportunities to your attention. If you want to volunteer, you need to reach out to the organisations profiled.